Yarn crinkling machine



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United States Patent O U.S. Cl. 28-1.8 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an apparatus for crinkling yarns. The apparatus includes a rotatable crimping head With a plurality of fixed sinker blocks spaced from each other in a circular row and a plurality of movable sinker elements each of which is movable in a space between two adjacent sinker blocks so that yarn is entrapped between the blocks and elements as it is passed through the rotating head. Cam means engage the sinker elements to move when between the blocks. The sinker blocks and the spaces between them are inclned so as to face towards the direction from which the cam means engage the sinker elements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Pat. No. 3,335,475 to F. W. Hole, the present appli cant, describes an apparatus for crinkling yarns including a rotatable crimping head which comprises a plurality of sinker blocks spaced from each other in a circular row; a plurality of sinker elements each of which is arranged in one of the spaces between the sinker blocks, each of the elements being mounted in a pivot for movement between an open position in which its free end is disengaged from the space and a closed position in which its free end is engaged in the space; cam means with which the pivoted sinker elements are engaged so that the elements are, as the head rotates each in turn opened at a fixed angular position of the head to permit a yarn or ribbon to be introduced between the sinker elements and sinker blocks, closed to entrap the yarn in the spaces between the elements and the blocks and then at a second angular :position of the head opened to release the entrapped yarn; means for introducing yarn between the sinker elements and blocks when they are open at the said first angular position; and means at the second angular position for withdrawing yarn released by the opening of the sinker elements.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention provides a modification of apparatus of Pat. No. 3,335,475 in which the said sinker elements and the spaces between the said sinker blocks are inclned so as to face towards the direction from which the cam means engage the sinker elements.

With this arrangement all or part of the sideways thrust Component of the cam means resolves into a force acting in the plane of the sinker blocks and the elements. This has two effects, namely, (a) to prevent the stacking of the sinker blocks and elements one against the other so as also to prevent a jam, and (b) to cause some ru'bbing of movable sinker elements against fixed sinker blocks when the opening cam means is applied to the movable sinker elements so a braking action is applied to the sinker elements as they open; this same action can also occur to a lesser extent during the closing period. i

The present invention prevents the movable sinkers becoming the subject of so much side thrust from the cam means that they tend to jam against the adjacent fixed sinker blocks. It has also been found that for different deniers of yarn, or for yarns in the undrawn or semi- 3,530,556 Patented Sept. 29, 1'970 drawn state, it is desirable to be closing a greater or smaller number of sinker elements simultaneously and this has lead to the development of a series of cams for different purposes. However, if the cam means has a very steep rise very near the foot of the sinker elements, the sinker elements will move into the spaces between the sinker blocks with such a speed that they Will overshoot beyond the full depth to which they would be pushed if they remained in contact with the cam means; such overshooting can lead to an uneven or uncontrolled product. The present invention provides a way of avoidng such overshooting. The invention also permits higher speeds of operation.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are schematic endelevations of part of a crimping head showing angled sinker blocks and elements according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a View of a cam device opposing movement of the sinker elements, I

FIG. 3 is a detail view of a crimped or bent sinker element,

FIGS. 4(a) through 4(b) are diagrams illustrating a plurality of possible profiles of closing cams for the sinker elements,

FIG. 5 is a perspective View of a crimping head, and

FIG. 6 is an exploded view illustrating a thread line fore drawing and texturing a yarn.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, a crimping head is constructed generally as described in the specification of the aforesaid parent Pat. No. 3,335,47'S.

Referring first to FIG. 6 of the drawings, yarn Y composed of thermoplastic textile fibres is, in an apparatus according to this invention, drawn off from a creel (not shown) and passed through a yarn tensioning device 1. It then passes via a guide 2 to a rotatable crimpng head C. The yarn Y approaches the cri-mping head C via an inlet guide 3 and then passes round the head. The yarn is crimped or crnkled as it travels round the head and it leaves the head and passes round a roller 4 to a take up device 5.

The crimping head C comprises a plurality of sinker blocks 6 (FIGS. 1 and 2) fixed on a block 7 so that they are rotatable with the head. The sinker blocks are arranged in a circuit to provide a plurality of radial spaces. A plurality of movable sinker elements 8 have inner ends which are pivotally mounted in the spaces between the fixed elements so that the free ends of the elements can move to and from the plane containing the fixed sinker blocks between a closed position in which the free ends of the sinker elements are engaged in the spaces between the fixed blocks 6 and an open position in which they are disengaged from the spaces. These movable elements are also rotatable with the head C, and as the head ro- .tates they are caused to move between their open and closed positions by cam means 9 and 16 fully described in the parent specification so that no description is herein required.

As apparent from FIGS. 1( and 1=(b), the sinker blocks and elements 6, 8 are 'angled to face toward the direction from which the elements 8 are engaged by the cam means 9 and 16, explained in the parent specification, each sinker element 8 as it approaches one angular position of the head C, it is caused by an opening cam 16 to swing to its open position to permit yarn to enter between that element and the adjacent fixed blocks. Continued movement of the head then causes the element to be moved to its closed position by the cam means 9 thereby to entrap the yarn in the space between the element and the sinker block on each side of it. The elements remain in the closed position for a desired period of dwell after which they are again opened by the opening cam to permit the yarn to be released. While the yarn is 3 in its entrapped state, it is heated by an electric heater, the temperature of which is controlled by a temperature sensing element.

An opposing cam 10 (FIG. 2) is provided to oppose the closing action of the movable sinker elements 8. 'Ihis opposing cam limits the amount by which each sinker element 8 can overshoot the depth at which the closing cam 9 is still in contact with it. The device 10 is arranged so that the overshoot may be controlled from nothing up to any desired value. As illustrated, the opposing cam is loaded by a spring 11 into engagement with the elements 8. The engaging surface of the cam is a ball race 12 but can be another moving surface or it can -be a fixed surface. The loading of the spring 11 is adjustable by rota- -tion of a nut 13 which can screw on a cam supporting rod 14.

The fixed sinker blocks 6 may be crimped or bent with respect to the head C as shown in FIG. 3 so that they are stable when standing on one edge with the working portion angled to the surface of a mounting plate of the blocks.

The closing cam 9 can have a variety of profiles giving various degrees of contact with the hinged sinker elements so as to be closing from one to a very large number of sinker elements at any one instant in time and with various acceleration patterns. A pluralty of typical profiles are shown in FIGS. 4(a) through 4(d).

The roller 4 (FIG. 6) is disposed between the crimping head C and a take-up unit so as partly to isolate the winding tension from the crimping tension and rapidly to lower the yarn temperature to a level at which the winding tension does not damage the crimp.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for crinkling yarns including a rotatable crimping head which comprises a plurality of sinker blocks spaced from each other in a circular row; a plurality of sinker elements each of which is arranged in one of the spaces between the sinker blocks, each of the elements being mounted on a pivot for movement 'between an open position in which its free end is disengaged from the space and a closed position in which its free end is engaged in the space; first cam means with which the pivoted sinker elements are engaged so that the elements are, as the head rotates each in turn opened at a fixed angula' position of the head to permit a yam or ribbon to be introduced between the sinker elements and sinker blocks, and closed to entrap the yarn or ribbon in the spaces wherein the said sinker elements and the spaces between the said sinker blocks are inclined so as to face towards the direction from which the cam means engage the sinker elements, and second cam means is provided to oppose movement of the sinker elements into the spaces between the sinker blocks, the said second cam means being adjustable to a position in which it does not oppose such movement.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said second cam means comprises a ball race engageable with the movable sinker elements and is urged by a spring into engagement with the sinker elements.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein a roller is disposed adjacent the crimping head so that yarn withdrawn from the crimping head is passed round the roller as it passes to a take-up unit for crimped yarn.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the fixed sinker elements are bent with respect to the head.

References Cited O UNITED STATES PATENTS 2, 696,034 1 2/ 1954 Swartz 2 8--41.8 2,812,569 1`1/ 1957 Lawson et al. 2'8-72.15 3,256,1 3*4 6/1966 Rce a 28- 1.8 X 3,33S,475 8/1967 Hole `28 1.8

LOUIS K. RIMRODT, Primary EXaminer 

